Lock for block-signal-controlling levers



J'.-H. KLE'NCK AND M. W. LARSEN. LOCK FOR BLOCK SIGNAL colu'moumcLEVERS.

' APPLICATION FILED 050.27. 1919. I 1,364,285. v Patented Jan. 4, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

J. H. KLENCK AND M. W. LARSEN.

LOOK FOR BLOCK SIGNAL CONTROLLING LEVERS.

APPLICATHJN FILED DEC.2T, 1919. 1 64,285. Patented Jan. 4, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE:

JOHN HENRY. KLENCK AND MAX WILLIAM LARSEN, OF WARREN,

LOCK FOR BLOGK-SIGNAL-CONTROLLING LEVERS.

ingris a specification.

his invention relates to an automatic safety locking means for levers;and the invention is especially adapted to semaphore control; leverssuch as are used in a block gsignal system.

The control levers of the above mentioned II classgare usually arrangedin sets a1'1;1,;-10- .cated n a ,towenand the operator moves h1s,

.levers to, change the I indicating semaphore v m accordance with trackconditions and in- 2o lstr ctionsv received :from, the train des-?,patcher. I I

, Eachlever operates on a quadrant and is i fpro videdwith'latchingmeans engaging the quadrantto maintain the lever in certainsetpositions, but said latching means is controlledbythe lever operatorfrom the handle of ,the lever and hence the movement of 'the lever issubject to human error to a conf siderablej extent and therefore thelever may be moved past. a selected point, the latch I may not seator,in excitement, the operator may not be aware of which position he isplacing the' lever in.

I In block signal control levers the quadrant is divided intothree leverpositions,

namely stop or normal position in which the track semaphore indicates tothe engineers of the train that the block is occupied and must not beentered; permissive or proceed with caution position'indicating that thepreceding trainhasnot left .thevblock and close watch is to be keptahead for the rearof the-preceding train; the third posi tion of thelever is that of clear or open 4 5 block in which case the semaphoreindicates to the engineer. on the train that the block his train isabout to enter is entirely clear. It is obvious that if the operator ofthe lever misses placing the lever in a proper position to indicate thecondition of the track ahead disastrous results may occur and, in fact,

' most oftendo. Atypical example of this would be if the operator shouldmove the lever from stop position through permissivc position toclearblock position and immediatel return it to ermissive osi- Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 4, 1921'.

Application filed December 27, 1919. Serial No. 347,780.

tion where he had originally intended to engage the lever latch; supposejust at the moment the .semaphore turned up clear block the engineeronthe train had his gaze directed on it and seeing all was clearimmediately looked away and then the semaphore registered permissive,-the chances are a seriousrear end collisionwith consequent loss of lifeand property would result. I l I It is the prime: object of thisinvention to eliminate the above mentioned .hum an ,ele

ment o r o y pr id n -m ans-td PQ I tively warn the operatorwhatjppsitionhe is moving the lever into. I

A further bleii pr ide aloekwh ich maybe' manually set ina safetyposition. to

prevent movementof the: lever from:a,,set

positionwhen left for any length of time as when the operator leaves thetower;

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is. aside elevation a control lever. set in the normal or stopposition;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the control lever set in the permissive orcaution POSltl OII;

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the lever in the clear block position;I

Fig. dis a similar view showing the lever manually'locked in the normalor stop position 'Fig. 5 is a similar viewof the lever manu ally lockedin the clear or open block po-' sition; I II Fig. 6 :is a view, inperspective, of the shifting jaw, and .1- Fig. 7 is a perspective of thecontrol lever Ihe lever 1 moving on a quadrant 2 to shift the semaphoreand lover cooperating element 3 by the cam action of the members 4 onthe flange 5 of the element 3 are all standard parts of the usual leverset; and the lever 1 carries a latch 7 having a connecting link 8carried in lugs 9 and actuated downwardly into engagement with notchesA, B and C of the quadrant 2 by spring 10, said link 8 being movable bya finger piece (not shown) on the upper end of the lever 1 to disengagethe latch 7, the foregoing latch mechanism also being standard 1n theusual lever set. It is in the operation of this latch member 7 that theelement of human error plays its part for the latch mechanism is underthe control of the operator who may easily slip the lever 1 unwittinglypast a selected position.

In order to prevent such slips the lever 1 is provided,.on its side witha dog 11 secured "in place by bolts 12. The dog 11 extends downwardly ofthe -lever 1- andis offset as shown at 13 so that the end 1 1 thereofoverlaps the sideof the quadrant 2; the one side 15 of said dogprese'ntsa straight abutment whereas the lower corner of the other side 1 carriesa laterally extending tooth 16 having 10 a'curved up'p'er face '17merging into the side "18of'saiddog. "Thedog ll-"is perforated as at 19and 20 toreceive theshanks ofbolts l2.

Two'studs 21'and'22'alining'in a horizon- "tal plane are mounted on theside of the 15 quadrant-2 and carry ashifting jaw 23 se- 1cured1againstremoi'rahirom saidstuds 21 -and-"22 b"y washers "24 and nuts 25on said studs; The 5 shifting j'aw' 23 is shown clearly in Fig. 6, andis merely a flat piece of'm'etal wire-mg curved tags ae cntra y "in the'li'otto rifhf' the ijaw andthedormer of which "t e meat-es "in" anBfi'et "laterally" di-' iehtedf appioxiniately circular cutout 31having" a" proiiect-ing==peintfaf mention-"32,

3o similarly the inclined way -terifiinates in mi lage. ic fi ii m t d wt way3lfby afdowiiwardly inclined surface 343 "th er ii 1terse'ctifng'point: of which extends Below the uppermost portion of the cut-out35"33. Thetwo slots 27 and 28 are not of uniform shape and the cut-outs'31 and f33 ex- 'te'nd in oppositedirctionsf The slots 27 "and 28 are so"shaped; as above "described,

that the shifting jaw 23 may assume any wiompffithepositions,showninFigsj 1 to 5 "inclusive.

,In F igs, 1 to 5 the various positions 'of the lever 1 arein'di'cat edoli thelatchnotches A, y B and O for receiving the" latch member 7, asfollows: J

A stop or normal position.

B'-p'erniis'sive o'r proceed with caution rz t o 1 ;C,;-c1ear'oropenblock position.

The''normal position"of thelever 1 is in "fnotch A indicating st'o'pland the'normal fposition ofithe shifting awes is as shown Fig 1'withthestud 22 in'jshecut-out 33 "where it is retained bythe'intersecting point 55' 35 the stu-d21 in the upper end of theinclined way 29 of the slot 27 and'the undercut 26 in the path of thetooth 16 of dog 11;

' -}when the parts are in the positions above set f forth supposetheoperator receives a inesco sage fromthe train despatcher indicatingfclear block; whichr'eguireshim to move .the leverjlto'notoh C, heraises the detent f'jl'atch member 7 "and movesthe lever 1 t0- wa rdnotch C but 'iatnotchB thetooth :16 of dog-=11 engages ufider'theair-bums andby' reason of the cooperating curved adjacent surfaces ofthe'tooth 16and cut-.out 26 the shifting jaw is slightly raised todisengage intersecting -point-35 from stud 22 and on continued movementof the lever the parts assume the position shown in Fig. 2with-theshifting jaw 23 in such a position on the stud 22 that if the" tooth 16is disengaged the forward end of said shifting jaw will drop to assumethe position shownfin" Fig. 3; therefore in order to accomplish furthermovement of lever 1 the'operato'r'm'oves lever 1 slightly backanddisengages tooth '16 but by the stopping ofthe lever automatically 'hehas 'be'enwarned that he is passing through the ,permissive' of caution?position; as soon as the shiftingjaw movesito the position shown irfFigf3theope"rator -'-"may' move the lever to the 'clar position 'asa'lsoshowndn Fig. 3. *aNdw -the arape- *ingin the position sh'own in higf, 3 the? next move'mentofthe 'leveristo b 'backthrbu h notch B tonotcl A or stop po'sjitio iiland {inacoom'plisliifig this waive by'opeiat'iiig the ="--"1eveiran the direction o'f thfdottedarrow inf'Figi3 the straight ia biittifig sage "15fengages point, 36'of theshiftingjaw '23fiii'oving '--'the- "same "until" it drops b to ftheposit-ion showninFig. l'f ie operatofir'riay then, if desired, lock thelever 1 in this p'osition *bymanuauy raisir 'gfitige jaw 23 to theposition slmwn i Fig; 451 so that the end 37 stands in fthewayofdog'lfand P e m e e 'lev ;;is ni1l ,1 it it is desired to lock lever" liinfthe cl'efar ,iposition shown in Figs," 3 and 5, the shifting j w 2 i5a al y" n' fve to. 1. the P sit shown iii 5ja'ii d the end 38 standsilfthe way of dog 11 and 'preventsiiiovmeiit of the lever until shifting'j aw 23 ijs' ril'a'nually moved to the position showrf in Fig. 3. f -Ii' any 7 event, it is seen thatfinfrn'ov" gftheflever from stop formandala position gto'j clear or "open block position? fullthrowof'thefl'ever I "cannot be accomplished'without stoppin momentarilyin permissive o'r proceed' with caution position which positively andautofmat callyeliminates the 1. human lment 01 error,

Havingi'thus' d scribed 'theinvntion',"wha1 'is' claimedas'fiiewis;

i l.', In combination, a'fquadra nt, a' level movable onsaid'quadrantrto-iseveral positions, safety lever lockingmans'fautoniatically engaging to lock said; lever intone position-and manually operabletolo'ck saic lever in other positions.

2. 111 combination, a'jquadrantj a} level movable on said qu'ad'rantjtoseveral posi tions, and safety lever lockingjmeans auto maticallyengaging to lock said lever in om position exclusive of any otherindicated }po sitions on the quadrant and"ma'nually 'oper able to'locksaid; lever in other positions.

3. In" 'combin'ationfa" quadraiit; a1e've:

movable thereon to several latched positions, and lever moved meanscausing said lever to automatically hesitate on movement through one ofsaid latched positions to warn the operator of movement, through suchlatched position.

l. In combination, a quadrant, a lever movable thereon to severallatched positions, and lever moved means causing said lever topositively hesitate on movement through one of said several positions towarn the operator of movement through such latched position.

I 5. In combination, a quadrant having several notch positions, a levermovable on said quadrant to said positions, manually operable latchmeans for stopping said lever in any selected notch position, and levermoved operable safety lock means for arresting movement of said leverthrough a notch position.

6. In combination with a quadrant, a lever, latch means for retainingsaid lever in set positions, a dog carried by said lever and cooperatingwith means on said quadrant to automatically arrest movement of saidlever at one set position.

7. In combination with a quadrant, a le- Ver, latch means for retainingsaid lever in set positions, a dog carried by said lever, and acooperating automatically shiftable jaw for shifting engagement by saiddog to move said jaw into position to engage said dog to stop saidlever.

8. In combination with a quadrant, a lever, latch means for retainingsaid lever in any set position, a dog carried by said lever and having atooth, a tilting jaw mounted on studs carried by said quadrant andhaving a cut-out provided with a projection for engagement with saidtooth only on movement of said lever to a selected position, andreleasable by a slight reverse movement of said lever to permitgravitation of said jaw to a diflerent position.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

JOHN HENRY KLENCK. [L.s.] MAX WILLIAM LARSEN.

